Best Places To Eat in Somerset When Staying At lilycombe
Here are some options and locations we consider to be the best places to eat in Somerset.
Eating In
-You can make an online order for delivery when you arrive - from Sainsbury, Morrisons, Tesco, Waitrose or Occado. Wells has branches of Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose for supermarket shopping.
-Market days in Wells are on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, with some really good food, including organic meats, fresh fish and fresh veg as well as artisan breads and cheeses.
-West Harptree has a good village shop for emergency food and wine.
-Somerset Charcuterie offers the best of smoked meats and salamis.
-Pitney Farm Shop is a long drive, but worth it for their home made organic sausages. In the same area there is Julian Termperley’s innovative and award winning cider and cider brandy at Burrow Hill and smoked eel from Brown and Forrest, which also has a café.
-Westcombe Dairy sells some of the best Cheddar, charcuterie, sourdough and the really special Brickells Ice Cream- all the above are made on-site. Directly next door is Woodshedding Brewery, so all needs catered for.
-At Bruton, there’s Godminster Cheddar and artisan breads At The Chapel. There’s a Farm Shop at Hauser and Wirth too.
-You can take a wine tour and sample seriously good ‘champagne’ at Fenny Castle Vineyard and taste English Wines at Wraxall Vineyard.
-Cheddar cheese traditionally goes with Somerset cider. Modern ciders are processed and gaseous. For those who prefer the genuine real thing, unchanged and uncompromising, head to Roger Wilkins Cider.
-Fish and Chips, eat in or take away at Salt and Malt on the shore of Chew Valley Lake. Pizza, Indian, Chinese and Thai takeaways are available in Wells, but they don’t deliver. There is also a branch of Cook in Wells.
-For special occasions, you can book a chef to come and cook for you – and clear up! Somerset Suppers, The French Kitchen, Jesse Davies, Ebbie's Kitchen, Thyme Chef, Luke Hawkins, Elaine's Kitchen, Kate Duckett, Home Table Dining or Wild Fig for grazing tables.
Eating Out
Local Pubs
-The Litton is 5 minutes drive or 40 minutes walk across fields. Comfortable, with restaurant food, booking for dining is advised.
-The Waldegrave in East Harptree is a community-owned village pub which makes an easy destination for a 50 minutes walk across fields.
-The Ring O Bells at Hinton Blewett is a small country picture-postcard pub which does food too.
-The Hunters Lodge is a very original unspoilt pub, popular with walkers and cavers. The landlord keeps good cask beer and food is simple and hearty.
Restaurants and Cafés (nearest first)
Wells has a number of choices: Goodfellows or Root for fine dining. The Good Earth, Vegetarian Café with the best coffee. ASK for pizza. The Bishop’s Eye for light lunches and coffee. The Bishop’s Table, a café within the grounds of the Bishop’s Palace. West of Wells, around The Somerset Levels are The Sheppey Inn, a quirky pub which majors in food and The Swan at Wedmore, food led and comfortable.
The Pony Chew Valley, is the original home of the Eggletons. Josh is a Michelin chef and his sister keeps their various enterprises in good order. Better-quality fish and chips at Salt and Malt is another of theirs.
On the edge of Chew Valley Lake is Woodford Lodge, nice to sit outside for lunch on a warm day.
-The Lazy Lobster in Chew Magna serves fresh seafood tapas. They now have a second branch in Castle Cary.
-The Pig, at Hunstrete, is one of the famous hotel group. Lively and interesting in a lovely setting. Great for celebrations.
-The Talbot Inn at Mells is a charming old coaching inn, serving restaurant food in an interesting old inn. A visit combines well with a trip along the Colliers Way.
-Bruton has become a gastronomic centre. Da Costa and Roth Bar and Grill at Hauser and Wirth and in town, At The Chapel, The Old Pharmacy, Briar, Matt’s Kitchen and, nearby, Osip.
-The Bath Arms and The Bradley Hare, both near Longleat, are good country pubs.
Horse racing enthusiasts might like a visit to The Manor House at Ditcheat, frequented by the jockeys from the famous training yard in the village. In the same direction is Higher Farm, producing good food with a clear conscience. Or Wraxall Vineyard has a café as well as fine English wines. Further on is The Newt: an extravagant transformation of an English country house to a sought-after destination with various dining options and fine grounds to explore, including a reconstructed Roman Villa. Check the cost of entry passes before going.
If visiting Haynes Motor Museum or The Fleet Air Arm, consider eating at The Red Lion, Babcary, a very comfortable village pub with good food.
City Dining
Bath has a vast number of options for eating out, but here are some that you might like: Walcot House, Upstairs at Landrace, Magari Pasta, The Circus, The Beckford Bottleshop and Beckford Canteen, Claytons Kitchen. Bristol has lots of choice too, but worthy of a special mention are the tiny Box-E on the wharf, The Lido in Clifton (swim and dine) or Freddie Bird’s acclaimed littlefrench. Whiteladies Road has lots of restaurants and tapas bars.